A/N: Thank you everyone who has taken the time to submit a review. Thanks to my fantastic beta Mei Mei for being so great and beta-ing. This time she was paid with two dozen chocolate coated crickets. Enjoy and happy Holidays!

Chapter 4

Gaara sat glowering at the innocent paper bag before him. He wasn't sure why he was glowering. The bag had done nothing to upset the redhead. It certainly didn't look offensive sitting harmlessly on the teenager's desk. Yet Gaara glowered. He felt like it was his solemn duty to glower. If he didn't show his displeasure in some way, the redhead felt like he would have broken some cardinal rule and allowed his little blond neighbor to win the challenge that only Gaara knew existed.

Honestly, it made absolutely no sense. The kid wasn't even there to see. Still, Gaara glared. The classroom had gone a few decibels quieter the moment the steaming redhead entered. Those students that had been hanging around his desk had scattered like cockroaches when a is light turned on. Even now, the aura in the classroom was tense. People murmured softly to each other as they observed the ominous cloud lurking around their stoic classmate.

Just like every other weekday morning, the teenager had expected to see his miniature neighbor yelling at him from his doorway. However, this morning, instead of only further damaging Gaara's eardrums, the boy had sprinted down the path to the street yelling at Gaara to wait while waving his arm wildly. Upon catching up to Gaara, he'd hurriedly shoved the bag into the teenagers hands, briskly wrapped his arms around the redhead's waist, and bolted back to the house. At that point, Gaara had simply stood there in shock at being hugged a second time, so much so that he'd nearly been late for the bus.

With a scoff, Gaara reached out and yanked the bag open to peer inside. At the bottom of the bag sat something wrapped neatly in paper napkins that was emitting a rather enticing aroma. On top the wrapped object sat a folded piece of paper. Gaara blinked at the contents of the bag, the scowl on his face fading lightly. Tentatively, the redhead reached into the bag and pulled out the piece of paper. Shoving the bag aside, Gaara unfolded the paper to reveal a poorly written message. Alert, pale eyes skimmed over the horribly written words certainly not glittering with curiosity.

"Hope you enjoy the cookies, Ketchup-Head!" Punctuated by a smiley face and.... was that a ketchup bottle? Oh the cheeky little bastard...

Gaara was finding it difficult to maintain his scowl, despite the sloppy drawing of a ketchup bottle. What did the kid think he was doing? Giving Gaara cookies? How old did the brat think Gaara was?

"Gaara!"

The redhead winced at the yell of his name. Why was it that he seemed to attract the loudest people in existence? Sighing, the young man looked up from the note to find one of the few people in the school that had enough balls to talk to him, much less scream his name like that.

"Rock Lee..."

"It is such a pleasure to see you on such a fine day!" Lee said loudly, coming to a halt next to Gaara's desk. Students nearby snickered at the comical scene that was Rock Lee but the dark-haired boy remained unfazed, instead dousing the classroom with his overwhelming happiness and passion. Gaara grimaced as he was bathed in the light being emitted by Lee's smile. Quickly folding the letter, the redhead glared halfheartedly. Of course Lee was impervious to the looks, but Gaara had a reputation to keep after all. It would not do for the other students to see him calmly accepting Lee's intrusions.

"What do you want?" Gaara hoped the exasperation was clear to all.

"I'm here to invite you to have lunch with us outside under the beautiful trees so that we can enjoy the remnants of summer!"

This guy just didn't give up. Really, every day it was the same thing. You'd think after having an arm and leg broken by Gaara in elementary school, he'd stay away. Nope, Lee, being the freak that was Lee, decided to make it his solemn duty to befriend the scowling redhead. Grudgingly, if Gaara had to admit under torture who his friends were, the only remotely possible candidate would be Lee, although now there was the possibility of another...

Gaara didn't answer right away, instead letting Lee stew in his own enthusiasm for a few moments. Reaching out, Gaara opened the small paper bag on his desk and pulled aside the bundled napkin. Inside sat six cookies. Nearby, he could feel the barely restrained energy of Lee as the boy tried to remain put long enough to receive Gaara's answer. How it was possible for one person to generate that much energy, much less have eyebrows that thick, was beyond Gaara's comprehension. But back to the cookies. Reaching into the bag, Gaara pulled out one and sniffed it. Twisting it this way and that, the teenager inspected the cookie, noting the chocolate chips and bits of nut in it. Shrugging, Gaara took a bite and was surprisingly greeted by an explosion of what had to be a tiny bit of heaven on his tongue. Unconsciously, the redhead closed his eyes and chewed slowly. Unbeknown to the teenager, a look of bliss flashed across his face replacing briefly his usually dour expression. This was a damn good cookie!

When Gaara finally swallowed and opened his eyes, he was greeted by a wide-eyed Lee.

"....That must be some cookie." Lee mumbled.

"What's that?" Gaara snapped, his usual look of annoyance falling back into place.

"So lunch then? Meet us at the usual benches?" Lee almost squeaked out.

"Whatever." Gaara huffed, dropping the bitten cookie back in the bag and crumpling it closed.

Lee grinned widely, understanding perfectly that "whatever" was Gaara's way of affirmation. God forbid any actual word of agreement be uttered from the redhead's mouth.

"See you later then!" Lee yelled before bounding over to another boy in the room. Rolling his eyes, Gaara stashed his snack aside and turned to look out the window until the teacher entered, his mind returning to his mini-neighbor.

By the time Gaara made it to the large tree he was supposed to meet Lee under (The redhead had deliberately stalled in the classroom. It certainly would not do to have seemed eager to spend his lunch with others), said male was already gathered there with two others. Gaara recognized them easily. The girl, whose name was TenTen was in the same class as Lee.

However, the other male, Hyuuga Neji happened to be in the same class as Gaara, though they never spoke to each other. There was currently an interesting rumour going through the school about Hyuuga Neji, and for a moment Gaara wondered if it was true. The redhead was greeted excitedly by Lee who paused in his conversation with TenTen to boisterously welcome the new addition to their group. Gaara's response was a grunt before he sat at the small table across from Neji, and next to Lee.

Lee simply grinned before turning back to TenTen who acknowledged Gaara's arrival with a simple hello. Neji didn't bother looking up from the book opened next to his lunch.
And that was how lunch commenced, Lee and TenTen chatting, Neji reading, and Gaara simply enjoying his lunch while observing others. It wasn't the first time the redhead had eaten with the small group. As a result, they understood how things went. Gaara would eat with them as long as he wasn't spoken to. The redhead had no interest in having a conversation and it was usually in everyone's best interest not to engage the redhead in such. Really, the only ones who ever talked were Lee and TenTen, Neji chiming in every once in a while if he was directly addressed but never lifting his gaze from the book before him.

As Gaara nibbled on the cookies Naruto had given him, he couldn't help but think about the irritating ten-year old. The boy just didn't know when it was in his best interest to give up. On the best of days he was a nuisance, like an itch that you just couldn't reach. Pulling out the last cookie, Gaara stared at it for a while before biting into it, his mind wandering back to what Naruto had said to him a few days ago. He couldn't help but wonder what the child was doing now. Was he sitting with other kids his age having lunch like Gaara, or was he sitting somewhere by himself sulking? Was he in class, or was he being made fun of on the school playground? Was he being picked on, or was he finally making friends? It was strange to think someone like Naruto would have a hard time anywhere. By the time he arrived at Gaara's home, he was always so excited and anxious to tell Gaara about something that happened to him or the other, that gave the impression school was great.

Gaara knew first hand how cruel kids that age could be despite their perceived innocence.

"No matter what happens, we're always going to be friends."

"Really, why the hell would I want to be friends with a kid so damn annoying..." Gaara grumbled to himself before popping the last bit of cookie into his mouth.

"Talking to yourself is usually a sign of insanity." A low voice intruded.

Looking up, Gaara met the steady gaze of Neji observing him curiously. Gaara held the brunet's gaze for a moment before sneering at the other male.

"Who ever said I was sane, Hyuuga?" Gaara bit out before rising to his feet and picking up his empty lunch box.

"See you later, Gaara!" Lee yelled. Another unspoken rule, never stop Gaara when he's decided he's had enough of your company. With a sideways glance, Gaara stalked off. Neji followed the male momentarily with his eyes before returning to his book, tuning out the voices of his two friends, a slight smile on a his lips.

Iruka glanced over at the child sitting in the passenger's seat next to him. Naruto was busy talking a mile a minute, not really caring if Iruka was actually listening to him or not. The older man smiled slightly for Naruto's benefit as the child looked at him. Naruto grinned wildly back, looking forward once more and continuing with his story, missing the frown that came over his guardian's features. At the end of the school day, the brunet had been forced to meet with a parent of one his not so well behaved students. By the time he'd finished with the meeting and emerged in the school's playground, he'd found the little blond sitting sideways on a swing staring longingly at the other children playing together. He'd found himself stopping and staring at the pitiful sight. The look on Naruto's face, the way his large eyes had stared at the other kids made Iruka's heart twist in anguish. Naruto wasn't in his class, but he often spoke to the boy's teacher. He knew Naruto was often made fun of, a lot of it directed at his scars and poor grades even though he'd been making progress in his schoolwork. Still, the blond did have a way to go.

Iruka was at a loss as to what to do. He knew Naruto was trying to hide it from them so they wouldn't worry. When Iruka asked him why he was always having lunch in the teacher's lounge, he always replied that he was doing it to spend more time with his father, before flashing the brunet a smile. The older male knew the truth - it was so the blond could eat in peace without being tormented. Iruka knew all too well what it was like to be the butt of everyone's jokes. He wasn't like Kakashi; he wasn't particularly smart growing up, he wasn't a particularly handsome child, and when puberty hit, he certainly was not particularly straight. Of course, over the years he'd learned to use what qualities he had to his advantage, and he'd worked hard. He'd come to realize people often underestimated him because of his appearance, and he'd learned to use that to his benefit. Glancing to the side, Iruka couldn't help but smile. Naruto definitely did have a lot going for him, he just needed to figure out what and how to use it to give him an edge. Iruka was certainly an expert at that, and he'd do everything in his power to help Naruto.

"'Ruka, stop! Stop now!" Naruto yelled suddenly, grabbing his father's arm, causing the older man to jump and slam down on the breaks.

"Naruto, what the hell?!" The brunet shouted, staring wide eyed at the child next to him, and not a little bit shaken. "Why did you do that? What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"It's Ketchup-head!" Naruto shouted back excitedly while wrestling with his seatbelt.

"What?" Iruka stared confused.

"Back there! It's Ketchup-head!" Naruto said impatiently, opening the door and bolting from the car.

"What the hell-- Naruto!!!" The brunet was definitely panicking now. Thanking the Gods that traffic was so light and that he'd managed to stop close enough to the sidewalk, Iruka parked the car and jumped out himself to chase after his erratic son.

Gaara had stopped walking upon seeing the car suddenly screech to a halt.

"What the fuck?!" The redhead swore, frozen on the spot, his eyes widening as the child that had been on his mind all day, clambered out and dashed towards him, all the while yelling that hated nickname.

"Ketchup-head!" Naruto shouted in glee as he skidded to a halt in front the teenager, who'd managed to stop the rampaging kid with a firm grip on his shoulders just before Naruto tackled him.

"What the hell?" Gaara questioned, his eyes scanning the boy.

"I came to say hi!! Hi, Ketchup-head!" Naruto said, ignoring the older boy's question. He was too busy staring excitedly at the teenager.

"Is that it?" Gaara asked, his voice dangerously low.

Naruto nodded while grinning

"What the hell are you doing? Do you have any idea how fucking dangerous what you did is?! You don't bolt out of a car in the road like that! Are you fucking insane?" Gaara growled, shaking the boy. He was beyond pissed. He could care less that a few passersby were staring at him as he shook the smaller boy.

"But--" Naruto stammered, the happy expression gone as Gaara yelled at him. Gaara ignored the crestfallen expression. The moment he'd seen Naruto run out of the car like that, his insides had run cold. All he wanted to do was trounce the hell out of Naruto for pulling a stunt like that.

"But what?!... You could have caused a car accident or get hit by something. Did you even think before you came out? What the hell is wrong with you? Why the hell would you do that?!"

"I saw you and wanted to say hi..." Naruto said meekly as he stared up at the teenager. Large blue eyes were watery as they watched the angry face of the other male. Gaara was seriously mad at him.

"Naruto!" Running up to the two males, Iruka snatched Naruto from Gaara's grasp, and turned the boy around to face him.

"I saw Ketchup-head..." Naruto mumbled, his face red.

"What were you thinking?"

Iruka's heart had stopped the moment Naruto had jumped out of the car. Luckily, they'd been driving through a neighborhood that generally had little traffic.

"Don't you ever do something like that again!"

"I just--"

"I don't want to hear it. Just get back in the car."

Looking over at Gaara who was staring at Iruka's furious face, the blond hesitated.

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but snapped it shut at the heated look Iruka was giving him. Turning on his heels, the blond made his way back to the car.

Staring at the spot Naruto recently vacated, Iruka took a few deep breaths to calm himself while covering his face with his hands.
Gaara shifted his backpack on his shoulder.

The sound of movement caught Iruka's attention and had him turning to the young man. Iruka studied the younger male with a slight frown. This was beginning to concern him, Naruto's clinging to the older male. He supposed it made sense. Gaara was probably one of the few people other than himself and Kakashi to really show Naruto any kind of attention. Naruto considered the other male to be his first friend, probably his only, but Iruka wasn't going to dwell on that.

"I'm really sorry about that. He knows better than to do something like that." Iruka finally said.

"It's...okay." Gaara mumbled.

The two looked at each other for a moment. They'd never really spoken. Iruka usually chatted with Temari and he often exchanged pleasantries with Kankuro, but he'd never spoken to Gaara, although he was Naruto's favorite topic. He suddenly felt awkward around the teenager. Chalking it up to Naruto's stunt still leaving him rattled, the brunet cleared his throat.

"Do you want a ride?"

Gaara stared at the other man silently. A fleeting memory of the brunet kissing his partner popped into his mind. They'd had the blinds open and Gaara had seen them one evening when he'd been forced to take the trash out. He'd never actually seen two men kissing. Surprisingly, he hadn't found it disgusting, a bit unnerving, they were his neighbors after all but certainly not disgusting. On the other hand, his sister had demonstrated no qualms about enjoying the show that evening.

"....Okay." The redhead mumbled out, shoving the memory aside.

When they got to the car, Naruto was sitting quietly in the front seat, staring down at his lap; too embarrassed to look up.
Iruka sighed before starting the car. The ride back only served to exacerbate the awkwardness between them. The brunet continuously attempted making conversation with the redhead who gave him only minimal responses. Gaara inwardly grumbled as the man continued to talk to him, yet he grudgingly found himself answering. At one point, Iruka wanted to laugh at the scowl on the boy's face. Gaara was actually a cute kid, and Iruka wondered if he was popular at his school. Judging from the sour disposition, he probably scared the other students away.

The blond was clinging to every word out of the redhead's mouth, and kept stealing peeks through the rear view mirror. Once Gaara had caught him. Naruto had quickly looked away, his face turning a bright red as he fidgeted. Iruka for his part didn't miss any of it.

"Well, here you are." Iruka said, pulling up in front of the Sabaku's house.

"Thanks." Gaara said softly as he opened the door. He glanced once over at Naruto who had turned around to stare at him sheepishly. The redhead stared at the boy for a moment before closing the door and heading to his home. Iruka glanced to the side to take in Naruto's crestfallen face. The blond looked close to tears. Something about all of this was beginning to bother him.

"How about ramen for dinner? We can order." Iruka suggested as he pulled into the driveway. Naruto's face lit up at this, but his eyes still held skepticism as he stared at the older man.

"You're still going to be punished." The brunet said quickly, understanding Naruto's confusion. "You're not allowed to go to the Sabaku's house for the next two days, as well as today. And don't even think about protesting."

Naruto immediately snapped his mouth closed. The joy he'd felt at having ramen was dissipated by Iruka's punishment.

"Don't you ever do something like that again. You're old enough to know better than that." Iruka said forcefully, pulling into the garage and turning the car off. He looked over at Naruto who was once again staring at his lap.

"I'm sorry..." The child mumbled. Iruka could practically hear the tears in his voice.

"Naruto-"

"I just really wanted to talk to him then... that's all."

The older man said nothing for a while, observing the child next to him.

"Now he's mad at me too..."

"Come on, let's go inside. I can hear the dogs causing a ruckus."

With a nod, but still not meeting his eyes, Naruto climbed out.

"Where's your puppy?" Kankuro said loudly, strolling into Gaara's room. Gaara simply ignored him as he continued reading. Naruto hadn't shown up that evening, and it left the redhead wondering if maybe he'd been a little too harsh. Maybe he'd finally scared the kid off.

"You finally scared him off? Heh, I knew it was too good to last. With that shitty expression of yours..."

Gaara didn't answer, instead he decided to roll on his side, turning his back to his brother. Kankuro simply saw that as an invitation. Pushing some books and papers aside, the brunet sat on the end of Gaara's desk, resting his feet comfortably on the redhead's chair.

"You know, it was actually kind of adorable, the way he followed you around yelling Ketchup-head."

Kankuro grinned when Gaara's form twitched at the nickname. It'd been a while since he tormented his little brother.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he had a crush on you. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he was. After all, look at his par-"

A book flew across the room and made solid contact with Kankuro's forehead.

"He's fucking ten, you sick fuck! And get the fuck out of my room!"

Gaara had rolled back over and was sitting up, glaring at his brother.

Kankuro clutched his head where the book had made contact.

"That hurt, you freak!"

"I was actually aiming for your eye!"

Kankuro blinked at his brother. Gaara was really pissed. Normally it would take a lot more than that to get a rise out of the stoic redhead, and at least a half hour more of taunting before Gaara became violent with him. Kankuro's face erupted in a grin.

"Don't tell me you're missing the munchkin."

Gaara's face darkened.

"Get out."

"So he has grown on you! You actually like having him around."

"Kankuro." Gaara growled.

" Awww, the big bad Gaawa has a lickle fwiend." Kankuro mocked, barely able to restrain his laughter.

"I do not have a friend, and stop farting on my desk you, ass!"

"That came out by accident." Kankuro muttered. The brunet chortled as a vain popped out on his brother's forehead. Gaara's face screwed up into a look of disgust.

"I swear I'm going to--"

"Kankuro! get your ass down here, now!" The voice of their sister yelling pierced the air.

"What the hell does she want?" Kankuro groused, but didn't hesitate in hopping off the desk and heading out of the room. As much as he enjoyed pestering his siblings, he knew better than to disobey Temari when she took on that tone. Like Gaara, she had serious anger issues.

"Catch you later, doom and gloom. Try not to sulk too much. I'm sure the munchkin will show up soon. Maybe even tonight to cuddle with you."

This time, Kankuro managed to dodge the pillow that headed his way.

Running his hands through his hair, Gaara muttered choice curses under his breath as he glared at his brother's retreating frame.

"Don't tell me you're missing the munchkin."

"Who would miss that pest?" Gaara grumbled to himself. He certainly wasn't missing the boy; it's just that he couldn't get the pathetic look on Naruto's face as he had left the car out of his head. Maybe he should have said something to him. For a moment, Gaara briefly wondered if he should go over there. He could probably use dropping off a manga as an excuse.

Naruto had looked so utterly miserable after Gaara had yelled at him. He'd looked close to tears. Guilt gnawed away at his insides as he headed to his desk and sorted the papers and books Kankuro had shoved aside. Maybe he shouldn't have yelled as much. Naruto had looked so incredibly happy to see him. The redhead sank down heavily in his chair. Maybe he could call. The teenager quickly squashed that idea. Angrily he snatched up a nearby textbook. The kid was definitely turning him into a sap. He'd never admit it, but he was beginning to develop a soft spot for the boy. His father looked really mad; Gaara hoped Naruto wasn't in too much trouble.

"So what did he do?" Kakashi said idly, wrapping his arms around his lover who was busy pulling take-out containers out of some bags.

"What makes you think he did anything?" Iruka answered, leaning back into the embrace of the taller man.

"I come home to find you here by yourself, the dogs no where in sight, well most of them..." Kakashi answered, glancing over to the snoring Buru looking everything like a bear splayed on the floor. "...which means Naruto must be here and not over at the Sabakus. The house is quiet though, so he did something and got in trouble, and now he's in his room sulking with the dogs."

Sighing, the brunet explained what happened. Kakashi listened as he rested his chin on Iruka's shoulder.

"You should have seen the way he looked. He's having a really hard time adjusting at school, and I feel like he's clinging to Gaara because of it."

Kakashi pulled away and walked over to a nearby counter, leaning against it while folding his arms. His mask was down but his eye-patch was still in place. The sleeves of his shirt were folded up to the elbow and he'd tugged his tie loose. The tie was one of Iruka's favorites. There were many happy memories attached to that silk, dark blue tie, ones involving Kakashi's office, Kakashi's car, their garage, the men's room at that restaurant they went to last year for their anniversary....

"I'm glad he's finally made a friend. It's just that... I wish he'd talk about what's going on at school. I told him he can't go over there for the next two days."
Kakashi nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Do you think I was too strict? You should have seen his face. Gaara yelled at him too... I think he was more concerned with Gaara being mad at him than he was with me yelling at him. Of course, that was until I told him he couldn't go over there. When I saw him jump out of the car like that...I got so scared. I think I was so panicked, I might have yelled a little too much."

"Where is he?" Kakashi finally asked.

"In his room."

"I'll go check on him. You weren't too strict. If anything you might have been too lenient, having ramen for dinner and all." Kakashi said before moving forward to kiss Iruka on the nose.

"You worry too much."

"Oh please, I know you're concerned too." The brunet muttered, wrinkling his nose.

"He's our son."

Iruka smiled softly at that.

"Go check on him. He's supposed to be doing his homework. His teacher said he's been improving."

"Yes, dear."

Iruka glared half-heartedly, causing Kakashi to chuckle as he left the kitchen.

"Naruto, I'm coming in." Kakashi said before pushing open Naruto's bedroom door. He entered to find the boy sitting in the middle of his pack of dogs furiously scrubbing at his face. Soft sniffles could be heard, indicating the child had been crying.

"Hey, I'm home." Kakashi said quietly, walking over to the boy and sitting next to him. Finally, moving his hands away, Naruto looked up at the older man, before quickly averting his gaze to the floor.

"Welcome home."

Kakashi observed the boy for a moment. His eyes were red and puffy and there were tear streaks down his cheeks. He was still sniffling a little and his sleeve was wet. The dogs were whining softly, while staring from him to Naruto.

"Iruka told me what happened. You really scared him you know"

The blond stiffened at the words, but kept his eyes on the floor. Nervously, he began plucking at his toes and hoped he wasn't going to be punished by Kakashi too. Naruto knew he sometimes got off easy with Iruka. Kakashi, on the other hand, was always very thorough when it came to discipline.

"I'm sorry." The blond mumbled, sounding as though he would break down any moment.

"Iruka's not mad at you anymore, just worried. You understand why what you did was wrong?"
Naruto nodded.

"So that means there won't ever be a repeat incident?"

The blond shook his head vigorously.

"Did you already apologize to Iruka?"

Another nod from the blond.

"Good. Come here."

Slowly, Naruto crawled over to Kakashi. The older man wrapped his arm around the boy, pulling him to his side.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke up.

"Kashi, can I ask you something?"

"What's that?"

"When 'Ruka's mad at you, how do you make him not mad anymore?"

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at this, while reaching to the side to scratch at the bandages on one of the dogs wedged against his leg with his free hand.

"Why do you want to know?"

The blond watched as Kakashi's fingers moved over the bandages on Uhei's head.

"Gaara's really mad at me."

The words were low and dismal. Kakashi observed the boy sitting next to him.

"Well..." Here the older man had to pause. He couldn't very well tell his ten-year old son what he really did when Iruka was mad at him. It usually involved him begging for forgiveness accompanied by large quantities of gifts which, if all went well, lead to him, to make the brunet forget the vestiges of his anger, allowing Iruka to screw his brains out. An angry Iruka certainly was a passionate Iruka.

"How about you apologize?" Kakashi offered.

"I can't go over there, though. Iruka told me I can't..." The child said, pouting.

"Tell you what - how about you call him later tonight, before you go to bed, and say you're sorry. You can ask Iruka for the number."

"Do you think Iruka will let me?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"I'm sure."

The blond visibly brightened at that. The look of relief that crossed his face had Kakashi staring thoughtfully.

"Go wash your face. You don't want Iruka to know you were crying do you?"

"I wasn't crying!"

"Of course you weren't."

Naruto pouted at the smiling man, but got up to do as told.

Naruto sat on his bed staring at the phone, in orange pajamas dotted with green frogs. Iruka had allowed him to take the phone to his room after noticing the boy's nervousness and shameful blush. Pakkun lay stretched out on the bed, swatting the blond every now and then to have the pads of his paw rubbed.

"Do you think he's still mad, Pakkun?" The blond child questioned while indulging the small dog.

Gaara's ire had really scared him. Despite his behavior, Gaara was usually very tolerant of him, and in fact, Naruto was sure the redhead was beginning to warm up to him. The blond had come to realize a lot of Gaara's behavior towards him was an act. Earlier though, there was no acting when the redhead had yelled at him like that. Naruto hoped Gaara wouldn't be mad at him long. Hanging out with Gaara was what he looked forward to most every day. He'd even give up ramen, if it meant he could be around the redhead. What if Gaara said he didn't want to be friends with him anymore? Naruto had no idea what he would do, if that happened.

"No matter what, we're always going to be friends." The boy said to himself, before quickly dialing the number.

Gaara stared down at the text book open before him. He'd been finding it hard to focus all evening. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already eight. Setting his pencil aside, he stood and stretched.

"Gaara, you have a phone call." A smirking Temari interrupted, barging into the room. Gaara blinked at his sister before scowling. Nobody ever called him, not even Rock Lee. Actually, he didn't even think Rock Lee had his phone number.

"You're sure it's not a wrong number?"

"Positive." The young woman answered, walking over to her younger brother and shoving the phone in his face.

Gaara stared at the phone skeptically before gingerly reaching out and taking it.

"So? Who is it?"

"Why don't you find out yourself?" Temari bit out, before spinning on her heels and leaving.

Lifting the phone to his ear, Gaara listened, but hesitated.

"Umm....Gaara?" Naruto called timidly; he'd heard the exchange between Gaara and his sister.

The sound of the familiar, young voice caught Gaara off guard. The last thing he expected was for Naruto to call him.

"...Hello?"

"I'm here."

Naruto fidgeted on his bed.

"I-It's Naruto."

Gaara didn't say anything as he leaned back in his chair. The blond's nervousness was clear through the phone.

"Umm..."

The redhead's silence was making the boy uncomfortable.

"Why did you--"

"I'm sorry!"

Gaara cocked a hairless brow at this.

"For?"

"For earlier today. I'm really sorry for making you mad! Please don't be mad at me anymore!" Naruto almost yelled, while picking at one of the green frogs frolicking on his pajama top.

Gaara didn't say anything for a moment as he stared absentmindedly at his desk. Closing his eyes for a moment, the teenager reopened them.

"Gaara?"

"...Why are you sounding so pathetic?"

Naruto instantly snapped at the bait. "I'm trying to apologize! Don't be such a bastard!"

Gaara's lips quirked slightly at the retort. The blond was back to his old self.

"...I... wasn't mad."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I was not."

"You were! I was there, remember?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, and stop being so damn irritating." Gaara continued, picking up a pencil and twirling it between his fingers.

"Why can't you accept my apology and stop being so mean?" Naruto yelled in frustration.

"Why should I?"

The blond opened his mouth to answer, but quickly snapped it shut. Gaara could practically hear the understanding coming over the blond. Gaara had already accepted his apology.

"Hey, chibi."

"Don't call me that. I'm ten, you know."

"Whatever. It's either that or dumb ass. If you ever do something like that again, I promise you won't be able to use your fingers to open another car door."

Naruto rolled his eyes at that. "You're such a jerk."

Despite his grumble, the blond's face had erupted into a giant smile. Gaara wasn't mad at him anymore, and 'Chibi'? Gaara was such a softie. The two sat quietly on the phone lost in their own thoughts.

"Chibi. Are you alright?"

The blond's eyes softened, and the wide grin dissolved.

"I'm fine. 'Ruka said I can't come over for a while though. We won't be able to hang out."

Gaara nodded, but kept quiet.

"Hey, ketchup-head!'

Gaara nearly bit his tongue in annoyance at the hated name.

"What?"

Naruto snickered at the sound of Gaara grinding his teeth in irritation.

"He said I can't come over, but he never said I can't call you!" The child went on, bouncing on the bed. Gaara tried to protest at that, but his words were lost in the immediate rant Naruto had entered. With a defeated sigh, Gaara stood up and walked over to his bed. Stretching out, the redhead stared up at the ceiling as Naruto continued talking. At some point the blond asked about the cookies, but before Gaara could answer, he launched into a tirade about his baking adventures with Kakashi, and the silver-haired man's prowess in the kitchen.

By the time the phone was practically pried from Naruto's hand by an Iruka declaring it was way past Naruto's bedtime, Gaara had lost track of how long he'd been lying there listening to Naruto. What startled him was that he'd actually listened to everything the blond had said to him.

"Well, I got to go now. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah... sure."

Naruto grinned. The redhead was sounding subdued on the phone, relaxed almost.

"Hey, Gaara?"

"What, Chibi?"

Naruto smiled, his insides warming.

"G'night."

"Goodnight."